Sterling Angel
by ADragon'sTears
Summary: When Charlie is forced to reveal to Bella a secret he swore to Renee that he would never tell, her world is flipped upside-down. Reality as she knew it, is altered, and the one choice she was so sure of is put in the balance.  Rated M to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: When Charlie is forced to reveal to Bella a secret he swore to Renee that he would never tell, her world is flipped upside-down. Reality as she knew it, is dramatically altered, and the one choice she was so sure of is put in the balance.

Authors Note: All characters, places, objects, etc. all belong to Stephenie Meyer, any alteration of those things are mine.

-1-

I wasn't sure why this beach meant so much to me. I suppose it was partly caused by everything that had taken place here. This was where I had first spent time with Jacob after I came to live in Forks with Charlie. Farther down the beach, Jacob had told me the stories of his tribe, leading me to discover Edward's identity. Much farther away, I had gone cliff diving on my own, leading Edward to attempt suicide. The list went on and on.

The waves crashing into the rocks on the shore were like music to my ears. I never thought I would be here now. I was certain I would loathe the cold when I moved here from Arizona, but now it's comforting. I guess that was, in part, because of Edward, and anything cold reminded me of him.

He didn't know I was here right now. Or rather, he didn't know when I came. Everyone but Rosalie had gone hunting, and though Alice was sure to have seen me decide to come here, they couldn't have gotten the information to Rosalie before I made it across the border. If Rosalie would have known, and she knew Edward wouldn't maim her if I got hurt, I doubt she would have even cared. She was truly a bad choice when it came to a babysitter for me.

I partly understood Rosalie's hate for me now. I certainly made it seem like everything she had ever wanted from life was worthless. But to me, it was worthless. A normal life was worthless if I did not have Edward to spend it with. I had experienced that before, and it was a time I never wanted to go back to.

I tiptoed down to the beach fairly certain that the water was going to be cold, but that's what I needed right now. My body had become feverish over the last few days, at first it wasn't so bad, but then I began to become extremely tired. I figured it was only a cold; it would pass soon enough. I was still sweating despite the nearly freezing temperatures outside.

I put my feet down in the water, squishing the sand at the bottom between my toes. If there wasn't the possibility of someone walking down here at any time, I would have gone for a swim.

I'm not completely sure why I felt it was so important to see Jacob today. It was just an instinct that came over me suddenly. Sometimes I thought back to the first time he kissed me; the day I broke my hand in an attempt to break his nose. I had to let out a chuckle at that. My impulses were more often than not reckless and stupid. To this day, I had found nothing that came close to that kiss. Edward's kisses were magnificent, and they were more than perfect in their own way, but Jacob opened up another category altogether. How could you compare fire and ice? Each is perfect in its own way.

My vision and thoughts blurred together. I relaxed for the first time in days and it felt amazing.

"Bella?" my heart jumped as I was thrown back into reality. It wasn't who I had hoped, but it was close enough.

"Hey Sam," I called back and got to my feet. I realized how ridiculous I must have looked. I had changed out of my sweats and into a pair of jean shorts I wore often in Arizona paired with a small tank top. Despite what the thermometer read, it felt like I was in Phoenix again.

"Are you okay? You do realize its 23 degrees outside, right?" he was looking me over, obviously concerned for my mental health at this point.

"Yeah, I was just feeling a little hot today," I shrugged my shoulders and looked in the other direction. As if most of the pack didn't think I was crazy enough already...

"Well Jacob is back at Emily's place with the rest of them. Come on, I'm headed there now," he motioned for me to walk with him. I had never really talked to Sam much; the only thing I knew about him was what Jacob had told me about the love triangle he was unwillingly involved in with Emily and Leah. I didn't need wolf telepathy to see how much that whole situation hurt him. It was written all over his face, and engraved into his eyes.

You could hear the pack's laughter from quite a ways away. Every once in a while, Emily's soprano voice chimed in alongside. Leah wasn't among them, obviously. I don't know why I thought she would be. I couldn't imagine her pain. Nasty break-ups happened every day, but to be forced to listen to how much Sam loved Emily continuously... I shook my head. Sam glanced over at me for a moment, and I could tell he knew something was wrong. From what I could tell though, Sam wasn't a prying person, and he left the matter alone.

"Bella!" Quil called from where he stood outside Emily's door. Everyone got quiet for a second, and then I heard my name called a few more times while the laughter resumed. I stopped for a moment when I saw Jacob come through the door. My favorite smile was spread across his face. Introductions were not even necessary. I jogged forward to receive a bear hug from my best friend.

"Bella," he spoke into my hair, "What are you doing here? And why are you in shorts? Are you trying to kill yourself by hypothermia now?" He laughed and set me back down onto the ground.

I didn't quite know how to answer so I just gave him the same one I gave Sam, "I was hot." I laughed at how absurd I sounded.

He was genuinely confused at first, but then shrugged his shoulders, "Whatever brings you to see me more often." I followed him inside where Emily was cooking plate after plate of food for the ravenous boys gathered around her small kitchen table. They were all here: Paul, Embry, Quil, Jared, and Seth, now joined by Sam and Jacob, who was standing at my side.

"You do know that you're not in Phoenix anymore, right Bella?" Embry laughed. I just smiled in response. I lost track of time, leaning up against Jake, laughing along with everyone. It felt like I was born here on the reservation, like this is where I really belonged. There was only one other place I felt like this, and that was when I felt Edward's arms wrapped around me, keeping me safe from the world. Hours had passed since I left now, and I began to wonder if Edward was okay. No doubt he was very angry with me for going behind his back; he was probably going insane right about now.

The sun was beginning to set outside the window. Jake traced his fingers over my arm absent-mindedly. I knew how much this meant to him, to spend time with me. Even if it didn't mean the same thing to both of us, it was the least I could do to try and repay him for all he had done for me. One-by-one the pack began to slowly disappear, until Jacob and I were alone with Sam and Emily. Jacob rose to his feet signaling that we should go. I followed his lead, and crossed the room to hug Emily goodbye.

"I hope to see you back here soon, Bella," she smiled and kissed my cheek. I waved goodbye to Sam, and followed Jake out the door, where the smell of the salt-water was strong in the air. I smiled and took a deep breath.

"What?" Jake noticed my sudden happiness and questioned me with a grin.

"Nothing... The smell of the ocean, the cold... The longer I'm here in Forks, the more I feel at home," my voice trailed off. Jake didn't say anything in reply, he just held onto my hand. It didn't take us long to get back to my truck where I left it parked in front of his house. He jumped in the passenger side, silently informing me of his intent to ride with me to the border. It roared to live reluctantly, and creaked into motion, making its way onto the main road.

Jacob was quiet for the most part, occasionally running his fingers through his hair. This was one of the few times I was envious of Edward's unique ability. It must be nice, to always know the right thing to say to someone, to never be embarrassed... But are all these perks worth your soul? According to Edward, they weren't, but I could never comprehend how someone with such a big heart could have no soul. It wasn't logical, really, if you thought about it.

Our conversation faded away slowly as Jacob and I made our way to the border of the Quileute reservation, where the strenuous treaty between my best friend and my boyfriend ended. I zoned in and out, barely focusing on my driving until that familiar Volvo came into view with my favorite (and currently unbelievably angry) vampire leaning against the hood, fists clenched into tight balls. I knew this wouldn't end well. I pulled my truck over to the side of the road.

"He's angry with you for seeing me? A little pathetic, isn't it? Like I'm anywhere close to as dangerous as he is," Jacob was half speaking to me, half mumbling to himself. I tried to ignore the beginning of what seemed like constant arguing between the two of them. I got out of the truck, and Jacob followed. When I headed toward Edward, I expected him to be happy to see me, but his reaction left me stunned.

"What were you thinking, Bella? Honestly, would you think of my position in this ordeal before running off to see your _dog_? Tricking Rosalie is particularly low. Leaving me frantic, desperately trying to return to Forks before you made it across the border. It was unbelievably selfish, what you did," Edward's normally angelic voice had a chill to it that sent shivers down my spine. But when the words registered in my mind, the shivering was violently replaced with anger.

"What right do you have to call me selfish? When you know that Jacob won't hurt me, and it's your stupid feud that is keeping me away from him. And I didn't trick Rosalie, regardless of what she told you. She could probably care less where I am right now, actually, your just too convinced that this is the result of my reckless stupidity to realize it," I paused for a moment to catch my breath, surprised at how malicious my voice was at the moment before continuing, "You know what, I think I'll stay on the reservation tonight. I'll call Charlie when I get back to Billy's." I made my way back to my truck where Jacob was waiting, my feet stomping on their own out of shear anger. But before I could get very far, Edward's normally loving hand grasped my shoulder in a sharp hold.

"No. You are not staying anywhere near the mutts, tonight," Edward was past angry, without thinking about it, he was letting his grip tighten, crushing my shoulder.

"Edward... Ow!" I yelped in pain, trying to get his hand off me. The pain was shooting through my shoulder and down my arm.

"Hey!" Jacob yelled from behind me, his voice transitioning into a deep growl, "Get off her!" he screamed, and his entire body began to quiver and shake. I knew Edward could tell what was about to happen as well as I could. In a few sudden movements, an infuriated wolf was standing scarily close to me, growls coming from deep in his throat. Edward returned with his own snarls, and crouched down.

I began to scream, standing in front of Edward to try and stop the fight. I didn't stand much of a chance; in a matter of seconds Edward's hand flew up and hit me in the chest, knocking me back a good twenty feet and into the base of a large tree. When my world stopped spinning, all I could see was a flash of fur and marble skin, my human eyes couldn't pick up on their movements. I struggled to raise myself to my feet, and when I finally did, my heart stopped.

Jacob was in the air, snarling and clawing, but more terrifying altogether was what held him there. Edward's pale arms were wrapped around Jacob's waist; his face was twisted and was no longer the face of the one I loved so much. He was a monster, a killer, with one intent. Before I could open my mouth to scream, Edward tightened his embrace and the air was filled with the heartbreaking sound of crunching bones.

My mind began to spin, I couldn't think. I couldn't breathe. Was Jacob hurt? Did Edward even care? No, he was the cause of this. I felt my body begin to convulse, my face was suddenly covered in sweat, and my body temperature was through the roof. Then it all came crashing together, and I fell forward onto what I thought were my hands and knees.

"Bella?" I looked up to see Edward's stunned face and Jacob, lying on his side, still as a wolf, staring directly at me with wide eyes. They were looking at me like I was the most terrifying thing they had ever laid eyes on. I opened my mouth, but no words would form. What was happening? Was I in shock? I looked around and up at the sky, the world appeared the same. I looked down and stopped. How could this happen?

Two silver paws rested on the ground where my hands should have been.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Wow, you guys! Sorry it took so long for this chapter to be finished, but I am sort of a perfectionist, and this was a lot harder to write than I expected it to be. I have been under the weather lately, also. But here it is the second chapter! I hope y'all like this one as much as you did the first one! **

_Bella's a... How could this... She didn't even grow up on the reservation..._ voices swirled around in my head, none of them being my own. Was this wolf telepathy Jacob had always mentioned? I tried to step forward and found myself fumbling over my extra two legs. How could this even happen? I collapsed onto the ground, and if wolves could cry, I'm sure I would have just then.

Becoming a wolf had went against everything I had ever known about myself. Somehow, I was a Quileute? My stomach became sick with the thought that Jake and I might be _related_. And what about Edward? The man I loved more than my life itself, the man I could not live without, what about him? Werewolves and vampires could barely stand in the same room without tension, let alone have an actual relationship.

_If you were even allowed to, Bella_. Quil's voice chimed in my ears. What was he talking about, allowed to? And how did he even... Oh right, my mind was no longer my own.

_You're a member of the pack now Bella. If alpha says no, you have no choice but to obey. You physically cannot go against him. _

So you're telling me I could be banned from having a relationship with Edward? I growled instinctively at the voices in my head. That thought was quickly gotten rid of anyway as I began to question my future. Would I live on the reservation now? How does this pack thing even work? I looked down at my shaggy fur, and decided I would definantly need to cut my hair. How would I even phase out of being a wolf? It's not like there was some button to push.

_We'll figure that out later, Bella. In the meantime, let's get back to the reservation, Sam wants to talk to you._

Jacob's voice was finally comforting and I walked over to him, gradually getting the hang of being on all fours. I glanced back at Edward, his eyes were lined with sadness, and a pang went through my heart. I hoped he could hear my thoughts right now as I silently apologized. His expression didn't change though, so I trotted over and rubbed my head against his chest, gave him one last apologetic look, and took off running directly into the reservation, Jacob at my heels.

_This way, Bella. You're a six foot tall wolf right now. You can't exactly go prancing into town. There are still people here who don't know we exist_. He laughed.

I snorted and turned away from him as I walked past. It was truly exhilarating, being a wolf, now that I was calmed down enough to realize it. Every one of my senses were heightened. The world was now one of brilliantly vibrant colors invisible to the normal eyes. I felt every leaf I stepped on, even as I ran terrifyingly fast through the trees. Each muscle in my body stuck out as I ran; I could feel their sheer power. I smiled to myself with satisfaction as I realized I was no longer the one who needed protecting.

_Follow me, Bella. You don't even know where you're going_.

I grunted, admitting that he was right. Sam had obviously already phased; I could hear his thoughts now along with the rest of the packs. The only problem was, he was thinking in Quileute. He must not have known until I pointed it out because he immediately switched to English.

_Welcome to the pack, Bella_. He said simply. Quil, Embry, Jared, and Seth cheered with excitement as they mimicked his greeting, followed by a much more reluctant one from Paul. I supposed he was still holding grudges. I began to listen to their thoughts more than I had been, and I realized every part of their life was now lying out before me.

Leah was trying her hardest not to think anything. Quil and Embry were sharing similar thoughts of excitement at having a new member. Jared and Sam were amazed at the curiosity of having another girl phase. It was odd enough to have one, let alone two. Paul didn't really care about the whole situation, as long as I would give up "my bloodsucker friends" for good. And Jacob, well he was just happy to be by my side again.

It was a bit overwhelming, really. I could barely think straight with just me inside my head. Nine people in the same brain was a little much. Jacob began to slow, and I mimicked his actions. A clearing was up ahead, and I could see that the entire pack was already there.

Leah's angry eyes glared at me from the shade of a large tree under which also sat Sam, Paul, and Jared. Embry, Quil, and Seth were playfully fighting with each other on the other side. Seth raised his head as soon as I arrived.

_Bella!_ He started to run towards me and leaped into the air when there was only about ten yards between us. I instinctively ducked under him and head-butted, pinning him to the ground.

_Easy, Bella. Don't let your fighting instincts get ahead of you just yet_. Sam warned.

Oh, no. I hadn't thought through what I did to Seth, and I might have hurt him. He was younger than me, after all, what if that meant I had more strength than I realized? I looked down at him and quickly jumped off, nudging him with my head. My eyes began to gloss over.

He jumped up and pawed at my ears.

_Calm down, Bella. I'm not that fragile_.

My mind rushed with feelings of embarrassment as well as a tad bit of anger at not realizing how completely absurd I had been to frantically worry about Seth. I sat down with a sigh, and awaited further instructions.

_It's nothing to be embarrassed about, Bella._ Jared's voice sounded loud and clear in my head. _You were just worried about the kid. _

Seth's growl was louder than I expected, and I jumped. _Who are you calling a kid?_ He crouched in Jared's direction like a prowler with its prey.

Jared took the challenge. _You, little one._ And with that, they pounced at each other, rolling away into the trees with the sounds of teeth clashing and claws scratching. Despite what I knew, I still was a little worried about the two of them.

Sam laughed, and came closer. _You have so very much to learn, Bella. But first, we need to try to get you to phase back. Focus your entire mind on your human form. Picture every inch of yourself as you are in your mind, and when you've done that, reach for it. _

Jacob's voice chimed in, _Uh, Sam? Are you sure she wants to change back here? In the middle of the clearing with everyone watching?_

_Oh, I forgot. Clothes don't exactly come with the transformation._ He turned to Leah, still half-hidden in the trees and as resentful as ever. _We are close to your house, Leah. Run back and get Bella a pair of your clothes._

Leah growled but could not refuse to carry out a direct order, and took off into the trees at a lightning pace, her thoughts heavy with hate and reluctance. I had to stop myself from thinking about her too much, no need to let her hate me more.

_Go ahead and go off into the trees, and try to phase back. Leah will find you when you're done._ I nodded, and trotted off, finding a spot far enough away that even with wolf eyes they wouldn't be able to see me. I tried to do exactly what Sam told me. I pictured myself in all my clumsy glory. I was wearing sweat pants, and an old tank top like I had been when I had phased. My tangled brown hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail. Yes, that was me alright. Clumsy old me. With hope that I could get this the first time, I sent all my thoughts rushing toward my human form. I mentally reached for it like a great feast before the hands of a starved man.

A familiar feeling rushed through me, I began to shake and quiver and my senses were dulled. It all came to a stop quite suddenly and I could feel the difference. How weak I was now in comparison. It felt odd to not have a tail as completely insane as that sounded. I reached up to touch my hair. Sure enough, clothes were not part of the deal, and I waited awkwardly for Leah to arrive.

It didn't take too long before I could hear her footsteps. She had phased back into a human, too. She threw the clothes at me with a swish of her wrist, not looking directly at me until I had pulled them on. Then, she looked me over, anger still in her eyes.

"I'm sorry for whatever I did to you," I took a leap of faith and threw that out in the open.

"You think I'm mad at you? I'm not mad at _you_ Bella. And I heard your thoughts before, I'm not angry solely because of the situation between Sam and Emily, either. There's something you need to know, Bella. But I would rather you hear the full situation from Charlie."

"What are you talking about? What do I need to know?"

"Bella..." she paused for a long moment.

"We're sisters."


	3. Chapter 3

Authors Note: So sorry about the long wait on this, guys. I promise, I am continuing. I have just been so busy with studying for finals, and I've had a bad case of writer's block. This isn't up to my usual standards (which are set pretty high) and I was debating on whether or not to post it, but here you go. Make sure and tell me what you think: Leave a review! Enjoy!

I collapsed onto the ground. Breathing, thinking, those things had disappeared, replaced by mass confusion, anger, emotions I couldn't even recognize. My mind was no longer a place of comfort and peace, belonging solely to me, but now it was a hurricane, swirling around and destroying everything in its path.

"What... No, no. Charlie and Renee are my parents, Leah," I said, sharper than I had intended.

"You can doubt me all you want. But go home and ask Charlie. He can't keep the truth from you anymore."

With a flash, Leah was transformed into her wolf form, grey like mine, but a deeper one with a mixture of black. She was gone before I could even respond. Ask Charlie... Well, that was exactly what I was going to do.

I stripped down again, and let my emotions focus themselves on my wolf, it was easy to phase this time. When it was done, I tediously wrapped the clothes around my leg and tied them like I had seen Jacob do a thousand times.

_What are you doing, Bella? _ Jacob was concerned.

_I've got something I need to ask Charlie._ My voice was like ice, I was a person I barely recognized.

Sam chimed in, _Bella, the vampires are sure to be angry with you. When you leave the reservation, they are sure to confront you. We're coming with you. _

_No. I may have needed protection before, but I can protect myself now_. I took off through the trees toward my house as fast as I could; surprising even myself at the pace my paws were able to move. I was aware that they were following me, but they had agreed to keep their distance, and they would only come closer only if they smelt a vampire nearby. When I could see the edge of the trees, I phased back, dressed quickly, and jogged off towards my house. I slammed the front door a bit harshly, not entirely on purpose, and Charlie came down the stairs quickly to see what was wrong.

"Bells?" he questioned, genuinely confused at my twisted expression.

"Am I adopted, dad?" I restrained from calling him Charlie only for his sake. As mad as I was at him right now, I wanted to cause him as little emotional pain as possible. I had already put him through enough.

"Bella... What are you talking about? Of course you're not adopted. Why would you even ask such a thing?" he seemed hurt, anyway.

"Dad, please, cut it out. I know that I have Quileute blood, now will you please explain to me how that could happen?" I tried to tame my voice a bit.

"Who told you that?" his surprise was as good as a confession.

"That doesn't matter. What does matter is why you didn't tell me that."

"Bella..." he sighed, "Sit down." He walked over to the couch and sat down. I sat opposite him, awaiting a badly needed explanation.

"No matter what I tell you, Bella, you are my daughter. You will always be my daughter. Blood means nothing," I had to stop a slight chuckle at that last sentence. He didn't realize how much the world actually did revolve around blood.

"I know what your mother has told you. That we got married because she got pregnant. Which is true. The only part that is different from what you heard is that it wasn't me who got her pregnant," he paused for a moment to let that sink in, "We had a particularly nasty fight one night, and while it seems unbelievable," he stopped, and laughed as his voice was heavy with sarcasm, "that your mother ever had a temper, she did. And when she chose to let it, it was the most painful thing a man could go through."

"She accused me of cheating on her on prom night.

The music could still be heard, even though we were fairly far away from the building. I tried to hold her hand, but she pulled away from me sharply. I didn't know what brought up this absurd accusation. I would never cheat on Renee.

"Don't touch me, Charlie," she snapped, "Why don't you go find your little girlfriend you've had on the side."

"Renee, what made you think I would ever cheat on you? I could never hurt you. Renee, I love you," I was being completely sincere, but she was too convinced I was lying to believe me.

She stomped off and I didn't see her again until three days later. She wouldn't even pick up the phone. Finally, she came by my house to see me, and apologized. Everything was almost normal from then on..."

Charlie paused for a moment as the memories flooded his mind. I could see how much he loved Mom now. His face wrinkled as he continued with his story.

"As you've already heard, Renee revealed she was pregnant not long after that, and we quickly got married and moved out to this house. It was around eight months into her pregnancy that Renee told me the baby, you, might not be mine. I was devastated, but it all made sense.

Your mother and I hadn't..." Charlie's normal awkwardness when it came to sex-related matter shone through bright and clear, "Well, you know, anywhere close to when she came up positive for pregnancy. I immediately asked her who else the father could be, and she was reluctant to tell me at first. But gradually she gave in.

That night, after prom, she was so angry when she ran off that she wanted to get back at me. She went to see Harry Clearwater, who had wanted to date her before me, but she turned him down. Apparently, sleeping with him was the best revenge she could think of.

I was unbelievably angry for a long time, but I eventually got over it. We told Harry, and the three of us made a pact that it was better if we raised you as if you were my biological child. We swore to each other no one else would know," Charlie's voice trailed off a bit at the end. He stared off behind me at the wall.

I was stunned. So suddenly, I belonged on the reservation? What if Harry suddenly decided he wanted to keep me? Did Harry even think about me, his daughter? When he saw me with Charlie on their fishing trips, or recently on the reservation with Jacob, did he see me as his little girl? I had all these questions, but I could never get an answer. Harry was gone. I turned my face away from Charlie, and began to cry.

"Oh Bells," he said, "I'm sorry. I thought this way was for the best," he got up and sat next to me, holding his arms around me. His embrace was comforting, and I decided then and there that Charlie would always be my father; Harry was just my second father.

We sat there for a while, comforting each other. Neither of us noticed the clock ticking away until Charlie began to yawn. He got up and stretched before he leaned back down and kissed me on the cheek, hugging me once again.

"I'm going to bed, Bells. You should do the same. Love you," he called back as he headed up the stairs. I responded quickly and sat there for a few more moments and when I was sure Charlie was in his room, I went up to mine. I sifted through it in a daze. My hands eventually went to my bedside table, and I pulled my charm bracelet out of the top drawer. I stared for a long time at both the diamond heart and the miniature wolf. After a while, I heard Charlie's snoring from the other room, and placed the bracelet back in the drawer.

I had left my window open this morning when I left, and the cold breeze was blowing my curtains back now. I thought back to that night when Jacob had come to see me so long ago, and jumped, hoping I landed on my feet. The impact was sharper than I thought, but I took off running, and phased as soon as I hit the trees. Instantly, I was bombarded with questions, but I did my best to block them out.

My thoughts flew back to the wildflowers and sunshine. Edward's skin stole any breath I had left after our kiss. The icy feeling of his arms around me was oddly comforting, so much so I could have stayed there for hours, possibly even days. My mind called out for that place, my meadow.

Those thoughts were quickly replaced by anger, betrayal, and love so strong it could easily rival the love I had for Edward. At first, I couldn't understand where these feelings were coming from. They made my heart ache; I felt like I had lost everything I had ever wanted in life in an instant.

Suddenly, it hit me.

I was feeling what Jacob was feeling, what he had been feeling for months. A pang went through my heart, caused by my own mind this time. Was this the pain I had been causing Jacob? How could he even live with this feeling? I didn't even want to move, let alone go about my daily life. I guess he was just that much stronger.

He realized I was thinking about him and quickly tried to stop thinking altogether. He was embarrassed that I was seeing inside his mind, angrier than ever about the lack of privacy even in his own mind, and somewhat relieved that I finally understood what it had been like for him to stand back and watch as I chose to be nothing more than friends. Maybe if I had felt this before, I would have chosen differently. Then again, maybe not.

Peaks of light flashed in my eyes at the edge of the trees, and in two quick bounds I was back inside my meadow. My safe haven. My favorite place to be besides Edward's arms. At first I didn't think to phase back into my human self, but after some thought I decided I had caused Jacob enough pain.

I lay down in the grass and grasped a handful of wildflowers in my palm. Tears streamed down my face, but it wasn't the kind of tears cried at a funeral, or those cried at a proposal. They were tears of confusion, anger at the things we cannot change and most of all, they were tears of love. Love lost, love found. It was all the same in that moment. The world felt like a dream.

"Bella?" I was torn from my dream, somewhat unwillingly. I didn't move, I kept my eyes closed and attempted to shut out the world.

"Bella...Are you okay?" I felt his hand on my shoulder, only lightly applying pressure, as though he was comforting a child.

"No, Jake, I'm not," I answered simply and opened my eyes to look up at him. Pain was written across his face, obviously in response to mine. It was the look he wore, combined with my unstable mental state that brought the tears again. I caught his arm and put my head on his chest.

"What am I gonna do, Jake?" I muttered through sobs. His hand rested on my knee and I ran my fingers over it distantly, tracing his veins up and down his arm. Despite the fact that my body temperature was just as high as his now, Jake was still radiating heat like my own personal sun. It was something I counted on being there forever. Without Jake, I don't know what I'd do. After all, what would happen to everyone on Earth if the Sun suddenly decided to go away?

"I know how hard it is, Bella. We all do. It's a shock to be thrown into this life, especially for you. I understand that. But Bella," he paused for a moment before continuing, "Bella, you will make it through this. And I will be here for you every step of the way."

I looked up at him, slightly stunned. My hands began to shake, and my vision blurred. The tears came in fresh waves, and fell onto my arms and knees. For a moment, I was struck with an overwhelming sadness, but just as quick as it came, it was replaced with overwhelming joy. I felt a new smile stretch across my face, and laughs flew from my lips giving the air a new feel.

"Thank you, Jake," I smiled up at him, and leaned up to kiss him softly. That kiss was so different from the icy bursts of excitement between Edward and me. It was warm, loving, and held within a peace different from any other. I placed one hand on his stomach and let the other lock itself into his hair. That moment was so right, it was hard to believe any other love had ever existed. His position mimicked my own as he kissed me back with dizzying bursts of heat.

"Bella..." he said between kisses, before reluctantly breaking away completely, "Is this really what you want?"

I looked away slightly stunned before I responded, "What...What do you mean?"

"I can't do this again, Bella. If you want this, me, then I'll give everything to you. I'd do anything, be anything for you Bella. But I have to know you feel the same way," his eyes became glossy as he spoke. Those few words came directly from the bottom of his heart, a heart that was breaking and yearning for the one thing I had been denying him all this time.

"Jake," I smiled and kissed his cheekbones placing a hand on either side of his face, "I love you. I always have, and now that... Well, now that I'm a werewolf like you, it's made me realize how much I've wanted you."

His teeth glittered as my favorite smile spread across his face and he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me to his chest with a kiss.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: ****I had completely forgotten about this story I had going. So sorry I kept y'all waiting! Same old excuses as before though, I was just way too busy with school to write much. Besides that, I had to decide where Bella and Jacob were going next. Here's what I decided on, and I hope y'all like it! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 4**

Moving day.

I knew it had been coming for a while now, but I never figured it would be this hard. Leaving Charlie, and the life I had become so accustomed to was more difficult than I could have imagined. I stood in my familiar bedroom from my childhood in the small house Charlie and my mother had shared before their marriage ended. When I closed my eyes, I could still picture myself as a child, sitting by the window with my dolls, watching the birds fly by. The view hadn't changed much at all: a few missing trees, a few new ones. Moving in with Charlie had made me realize how much I belonged here, in the little rainy town of Forks.

The boxes were piled all around me, in stacks labeled "Books" or "Clothes". I pulled duct tape across the last box, and paused for a moment, before sitting down in the window seat and leaning my head against the glass. Over the past months I had been getting used to life as a werewolf. Every evening, I trained with Sam until now I can hold my own against even the best fighters. I had gotten a job working in the office at Forks High School filing student papers, which was anything but interesting. Jacob and I had decided it was best if we got a house together on the reservation. Legally, we couldn't have one until we were married, but Jacob's grandparents had a relatively small two story house on the beach on the far side of the reservation that was Billy had already owned, but hadn't been doing anything with. It was perfect for us, but now I was stuck with the daunting task of packing my life into moving boxes.

I was awoken by the familiar feeling of Jacob's lips against mine as he lifted me into a hug. He was unbelievably warm as always even though my temperature matched his, as peculiar as that was. The muscles in his chest and arms quivered as he held me, as if they had been aching to hold me all throughout the day. There was no doubt that Jacob had. I stared up into those deep brown eyes that were smiling down into mine, and kissed him again. The kisses we shared never got dull; they were always pure exhilaration.

"How's my girl?" he whispered as he ran his fingers through my hair, a smile spread across his face.

"It's sad leaving this all behind…" I waited to see his reaction, and when his smile slightly faded I added, "But it's worth it."

"You don't have to move out if you don't want to, Bella," he wore a serious expression.

"Jake, I want this. I want to be with you, more than anything," I added with another peck before we were interrupted by footsteps at the door.

"Ahem," Charlie said awkwardly. I smirked at that. Charlie wasn't particularly thrilled about me moving out before I was married, but he was fond enough of Jacob that at the moment, he wasn't putting up too much of a fight.

"Yes, Dad?" I smiled and turned around.

"I guess you're done packing then?" he asked.

"Just finished taping the last box," I said.

"I guess we better start loading them up then," he said, emotionless. I could tell he was hiding the fact that he didn't want me to go. As much as I didn't want Charlie to be sad, I knew that everything would work out better this way. Charlie would be okay in a while, and I needed to be on the reservation with my pack. I smiled. _My pack. _It felt good to be able to say that.

Jacob grabbed three boxes, one on top of the other, and headed out the door and down the stairs. Charlie, wanting to hold onto his masculine pride, tried to do the same, but ended up only being able to lift two, and even then he could barely make it down the stairs.

"Dad," I laughed, "Give me one of those."

"No," he said with a _humph._

I ignored him and took the top box, going down the stairs before he could say anything. Within minutes, Charlie gave up on his effort to keep up with Jacob, and I ended up sitting on the porch with him while Jake loaded the truck up. I still had my doubts that my truck could make it to the reservation with that heavy load, but Jacob was confident.

Too soon, everything was packed, and I was hugging Charlie goodbye.

"I'll miss you, Dad," I said with a hug.

"I'll miss you too, Bells," he hugged me back, and then handed me an envelope, "Don't open it until you're moved in, alright?"

"Okay, Dad," I hugged him again and then he turned to Jacob.

"Take care of my little girl," he said with a serious look that then turned to a smirk, "Remember, I legally care a gun."

"Dad!" I gasped with a laugh.

Jacob chuckled, "Will do, Sir."

We climbed into my truck, and headed off down the road to our new life together.

**Author's Note: ****This is a very short chapter (it was more of a filler chapter than anything), but another is coming before the end of the day if y'all like this one. (: So not long to wait this time! Hope you enjoyed it!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: ****Here's the next chapter I promised you guys! I was planning to have this posted the same day as Chapter 4, but it turned out to be a lot longer than I had expected with a lot more details in it. Here it is! The biggest chapter yet! Enjoy! And PLEASE REVIEW! **

**Chapter 5**

The house was far more extravagant than either Jake or Billy led me to believe. Apparently, Jake's grandparents built this house themselves. A stone pathway had been freshly renovated and led up to the front door with what looked like hand-carved roses lining it. Inside, the floor was a deep stained wood with a staircase on one side. The bedroom turned out to have a view to die for, and Billy had furnished all the furniture. It was perfect.

When everything was unloaded, I met Jacob at the front door with a smile on my face.

"Welcome home, Jake," I said as he wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me into the air. I wrapped my legs around him and kissed him as I ran my fingers through his hair. The absolute perfection of the moment made me dizzy with happiness, and we stayed there for what must have been several minutes, but only seemed like seconds.

"I've got something to show you, Bella," he said, his face spread wide with a smirk. I could tell he was having to hold back laughter, but I had a feeling it was simply because of the joy of this whole situation.

"Okay?" I said, genuinely confused until he set me down and took off running into the trees. I sighed and ran after him phasing even before the woods gave me the shelter of not being seen. I caught up with him quickly; Jake was more powerful than me, but I was the fastest in the pack. We ran together for several minutes as fast as we could until suddenly the trees ended, and we were facing the ocean again.

It took me several seconds to take in the scene in front of me. It was pure beauty in itself. The sun had just begun to set over the ocean, touching the horizon tediously. The sand stretched to the edge of the trees, and flowers grew wherever there were visible patches of grass. It was cool, but not frigid, and the moon had begun to appear at one end of the sky as a counterpart to the sun. It seemed as if it had never been touched by humans before, and it was equally as stunning as my meadow.

"Jake, this place is beautiful," I said and turned around to get a full view of the place. It looked the same on the other side, and was just as amazing.

Jacob coughed from behind me, making me turn around.

I couldn't breathe.

He was on one knee, a small box in right hand, his left hand outstretched for mine. His eyes were sparkling, but held within them a nervousness that was clearly visible. Inside the box was a silver ring with a sparkling emerald in the center surrounded by smaller diamonds. It was held in green velvet, complimenting the emerald. It shook in Jake's hand.

"I've loved you for as long as I can remember. From the first moment I saw you all those years ago, I thought you were the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. When you stopped coming to visit, I felt as if my world was ending. I waited for you to return for all those years, and never thought of another girl the whole time. Even through everything that's happened in the past couple of years, I have been waiting for this day. The day I could call you mine. Isabella Marie Swan, will you marry me?"

Halfway through his speech, tears had begun to fall from my eyes. I was stunned, and my lungs struggled to take breaths. The world was spinning, and I felt as if I could collapse any second. Suddenly, I began to smile like a crazy person as I cried. Despite my aversion to marriage, it just felt _right_ with Jake.

"Ye..Yes! Yes, Yes, of course," I stuttered as I answered, and he slid the beautiful ring on my finger in one graceful movement before rising to his feet and taking me into his arms. I kissed him like I never had before, because this wasn't anything like before. I was his wife, and I never had to worry about losing him, ever.

We stood there for several minutes, laughing, crying and celebrating. The sun set completely over the ocean, and we were left there in the moonlight. The moment itself was flawless; I never wanted to leave. I would have stayed there all night with Jake, with my husband.

But I wasn't that lucky.

Seth came running through the trees, blood covering one side of his face.

"Jake, Jake…" he could barely speak above a whisper, and quickly fell to the ground.

We rushed over to him, and I could feel fresh tears coming through, not because of Jacob's proposal, but because over the months I had been in the pack, I had grown especially close to Seth, almost scarily protective. I put a hand on his cheek slowly, coaxing him to wake up.

"Seth?" Jacob was equally as concerned, "Seth, what's going on?"

"Sam...Help...Sam," he whispered before he blacked out again.

I looked up at Jacob frantically, "We have to go, Jake! Let's get him to Billy's. I'll tie Seth to your back. Phase."

Within seconds, I was staring at a wolf almost twice as tall as me. Jake laid down, spreading his legs out spread eagle so I could reach his back. I tied Seth to his back with the string that normally held my clothes to my foreleg, when I was sure that he was secured tightly enough that he wouldn't fall off, I phased myself and took off into the trees. The pack's voices were frantic in my head.

_Jake, Bella! Hurry! At the border! Ugh! _

I could feel their pain, one of them was hurt. I ran as fast as I could, and said to Jake specifically.

_I'm going ahead; take Seth to Billy's and then come find me._

He agreed, and I pressed myself to my limits, working off instinct alone until I finally came to the river that acted as the treaty line. The water was stained red.

I looked around, completely shocked. Sam lay guarded by Leah with blood covering his muzzle and back legs as well as one of his sides. Both of Leah's front paws were bloody but I assumed that it wasn't her blood as she just lay there snarling, with glossy eyes.

Embry was locked waiting in a circle with Emmett, who had become scarily like a monster.

Quil was rolling in a headlock with Rose, clawing at her eyes.

But most terrifying of all was Edward, mad with desperation, and stained from head to toe with the blood of my pack. His eyes were a deep black, as if he had not fed for weeks, and he held in his hands Jared's left hind leg, and with a sudden crack, twisted it sharply.

I snarled as loud as I could, drawing the whole battle scene to turn in my direction. Despite the Cullens never having seen me as a wolf, they knew exactly who it was. Edward growled in response, throwing Jared to the side. He landed with a yelp, and the fighting began again. Edward sprinted towards me, aiming to grab me by my neck, but I was faster than him if only by seconds. It was truly a match of speed: we were the fastest of our families.

"I don't know you anymore. My Bella is gone," he jumped for me again, but I jumped sideways and brought up a paw to catch my claws across his face instinctively, grimacing as he yelled and continue, "You are dead to me."

My brain wanted to stop. Despite the fact that I knew I was in love with Jake, and that he was my world now, I was in love with Edward too. How could I ignore everything we had been when we were together? I looked into that familiar face, a face that had once held me softly while I slept, and comforted me while I cried.

While I was distracted he reached forward and I felt the impact of his hand hitting my chest. It took me a second to regain my balance, and even then my entire body throbbed with pain. But in that moment, I knew it was over. This wasn't Edward. Edward would never exist again. And if I didn't snap back into the moment, neither would I.

Tears flowed from my cheeks as I caught his hand in my mouth before he could pull it back and twisted sharply, unattaching it from his body and throwing it to the side. His screams of pain were almost more than I could bear. I hoped from the bottom of my heart that he would leave, that I wouldn't have to finish this.

Across the river, Quil had Rosalie pinned to the ground, one of her arms missing. I looked away before I saw what was sure to come next. Embry was locked in a dead match with Emmett, and Leah was still nudging Sam, desperate to wake him up.

Edward had stopped fighting and was sitting his face twisted in pain. I made a decision I hoped I wouldn't regret. I phased, and threw clothes on, looking at Edward slowly. I prepared my mind to phase back in a split second, but I wasn't sure that was enough time. I was trusting the love Edward and I had shared.

"Edward, please… Make this stop!" I screamed.

"No," he said, his face hard, "No!" He was in hysterics.

"Edward, don't make me…"

"Kill me? Don't make you kill me? Do it, Bella! You don't have the nerve!" he began to shake with laughter that chilled me to the bone, and then suddenly I saw that I never should have decided to phase into a human. It was stupid; I couldn't talk him out of this.

He lunged.

I braced myself for the impact, preparing myself to die. When I felt nothing, I was surprised. I looked up and saw that Jacob had pinned Edward to the ground, and was ripping him to shards. But what was coming for Jake scared me even more.

"Jake!" I screamed as I phased and jumped above him. From across the field, Rosalie had knocked Quil unconscious as well as Embry and Leah, who, from the apparent shining white shards scattered across the river, had just finished with Emmett. I sunk my teeth into her shoulder, slinging her backwards. But it was too late for Jake.

The moment's distraction of me lunging for Rosalie had given Edward enough time to go for Jacob. He wrapped his arms around him like a boa constrictor and tightened enough that cracks filled the air, and Jacob fell to the ground with a thump.

I felt like I could have died in that moment. The only one that brought happiness to my life was gone, there was no reason to continue. But somewhere inside me, there was a fighter, screaming to continue, despite the odds I faced as I looked into the eyes of two completely insane with rage vampires. It was very doubtful that I could take both of them. With Rosalie's slyness, and Edward's speed, I was doomed.

But I held my own. As Edward lunged first, I dug my claws deep into his stomach, then jumped and caught Rosalie's hand with my teeth, ripping out a chunk. The fighting continued for several minutes, until Rosalie grabbed one of my front legs and pulled so hard that while it was still attached by skin and muscle, the bone was completely torn out of its socket, leaving me unable to use it.

I backed away as I felt my own death looming over my head. I was alone, and injured. I lunged at Edward, intent on revenge for destroying everything I had held dear to my heart including himself, and smiled when I felt my teeth make contact with him. I waited on Rosalie to take advantage of my turned back, to grab me from behind and end it. But that moment never came. I heard Leah inside my head.

_I've got your back, Sis._

I smiled as I realized that Leah was keeping Rosalie away from me long enough for me to defend myself. I looked at Edward, hoping to see any sort of regret or pain in his eyes. But all I saw was rage and fear, and I admitted to myself that for the safety of everyone I had come to love, I had to end it.

Several moments later, both Leah and I were surrounded by shards of brilliant white. We looked around and made sure that we were okay. Leah popped my shoulder back into place painfully and we began gathering the pieces and throwing them in the middle of the clearing. Leah ran to her clothing, and drew a match setting the pile on fire. We left it ablaze; there was too much else we had to attend to. In the time that Leah and I had finished the fighting, Quil and Embry had awoken, injured but alive. I ran to Jacob and nudged him with my hand. I began to think he was dead. My heart sank. But after several tries I got him to wake up.

"Jake, your okay! Oh Jake I love you," I paused to kiss him, "Can you phase? It's over. We need to get you help."

He nodded in reply, and phased slowly in front of me. I silently thanked God for the boost of strength the transformation had given me, as I picked Jacob up like a baby and walked over to Leah and Sam. Leah had gotten Sam to phase back too, but he looked much, much worse than Jacob.

"Leah?" he whispered, his face stained red.

"Sam?" she cried desperately through her tears.

"Even though I imprinted on Emily, I still love you. Please know that. I love you both. Please tell her I love her too. Remember that, Leah. I love you," he had barely finished his last sentence before his head fell to the side, his eyes becoming glossy.

"Sam!" Leah shook him, "Sam! Please! Don't go! Sam…" she cried.

I clutched Jacob's hand tightly as my own tears were falling. I knew what had happened, but I didn't want to admit it to myself. Billy showed up not long after in his truck with Seth, who had apparently only suffered from a small head wound, which because of the fact that he healed quickly, had mostly already healed. Billy went to Jacob first, who was still conscious, and breathing, and embraced him with teary eyes.

"I'm so glad you're alive, son," he said.

Seth had gone over to the frantic Leah and Sam, and had begun to cry. Embry lifted Sam from the ground and into the back of the truck. He and Leah climbed into the back as well, followed by myself and Jacob, and Quil.

Leah was holding onto Sam as Billy drove, not letting herself believe that he was dead. We reached Billy's home quickly, and Embry carried Sam inside followed by Leah. I helped Jacob out of the truck and inside as well.

Sam was taken to a back bedroom until he could be taken to the reservation's graveyard. Leah was allowed to say her goodbyes before she was forced to come back into the living room. Quil helped to bandage Jacob up. Apparently, Quil had aspirations to become a doctor before becoming a werewolf and had read several medical books. After testing Jacob's range of movement and some other simple tests, he said he had made it out easy, with a couple of broken ribs and a mild concussion, as well as several cuts and a broken ankle.

The room slowly cleared out, Sam's body was taken to the morgue at the graveyard to await his burial tomorrow, and Leah and Seth went home to their frantic mother, and Quil and Embry had both went home. Jacob and I had decided to stay at Billy's for the night, and we slowly drifted off to sleep.

That next morning was Sam's funeral. I borrowed one of Rachel's old black dresses, and Jake and Billy wore their suits. It went fairly the same as any other funeral. Filled with tears, and memories. There wasn't a moment where I let go of Jacob's hand. The thought that I might have lost him had made me scared enough that I couldn't let go now.

At the burial site, Leah was the only one who could fight back the tears long enough to speak.

"Over the years, I had gotten to know Sam better than almost anyone. Besides Emily," she paused for a moment before she continued. The subject obviously still hurt her, "He was quiet. He didn't pry into other people's business. He wanted nothing but to make others happy. He was one of the most wonderful men I've ever met, and I know that he is looking down from above," she paused and took a deep breath, "And his spirit will always be kept alive. Thank you."

Jake and I reluctantly parted ways as he went to speak with Sam's mother and I went to go find Leah. I knew she needed someone right now and we had become surprisingly close. I found her in a small clearing by the beach, her short black hair flowing with the breeze. She had something clutched in her hand that I couldn't see and her body was shaking with tears.

"Leah?" I sat down beside her and placed a hand on her leg as a sign of comfort, "What's in your hand?" I had become increasingly worried she would try to hurt herself.

She slowly opened her palm and let a small white stick fall from her hand that I couldn't quite distinguish. She turned toward me and grabbed my shoulders before hugging me tightly.

"Bella, I dont know what to do anymore," she sobbed.

We sat there for a minute before our hug ended and I bent down to pick up the small white stick she had dropped. It looked like a thermometer for a moment until I turned it over and saw the recognizable screen with a single word inscribed there in blue.

Leah was watching me until she saw that I had figured it out, "Yes, Bella. I'm pregnant." She stopped for a moment before continuing...

"With Sam's child."


	6. Chapter 6

I leaned back against the trunk of a tree near the spot where Jacob asked me to marry him. That was several months ago, and now things were as complicated as ever. Since the treaty was completely destroyed, the pack had no choice but to run patrols every night, leaving all of us exhausted. Sam had given direct orders that none of us were allowed to talk to any of the Cullens, even those not present at the battle on the border. The order was obviously meant for me, even though he wouldn't say it aloud. I had heard Paul's suspicious thoughts, wondering if I would betray the pack for my "precious cold ones". While even the idea of betraying my pack, my family, to anyone who would hurt them, be it the Cullens or anyone else, was utterly absurd, I couldn't help myself from wondering about them. Carlisle, Esme, Alice, Jasper, and most of all Emmett. I knew he must be blind with rage. Somehow, I hoped they forgave me.

I had also become a middle man of sorts for the pack. Most of them were furious with Leah for refusing to phase, and for spending an extended period of time at a small town just south of Forks where she had rented a one bedroom apartment. She refused to see anyone, even if they came to her apartment, except for one person: me. And so, I had been asked to relay messages to her, bring her things, beg her to come back. None of it worked, and no one understood why, except for myself. Leah had to hide, because she was terrified to reveal to her pack, that at the moment, she was unable to phase. Pregnancy caused your ability to phase to become impossible. And there was no hiding her pregnancy. I would visit her often, taking her food from the grocery store, or just keeping her company. She refused to leave her apartment.

In a way, I could understand her fear. No one would understand how Sam could possibly have betrayed Emily like that, especially after he imprinted on her. But there were holes in the whole institution of imprinting. If Emily never found out about the affair, or the resulting pregnancy, it would never hurt her. So, Sam only had to stop her from finding out.

Leah didn't want to seem like a home wrecker, and there was no one who would understand that feeling like I would. Being stuck between two loves is possibly the worst feeling in the world. You don't choose to love two people, but your forced to choose between them, knowing that one of them will get crushed. My mind flooded with memories of the fights between Jacob and… I shuddered. It hurt to even think his name. I knew I loved Jacob, and I loved him unconditionally, but Edward would still hold a bigger part of my heart than most people could understand.

"Bella?" Jacob's voice chimed like music to my ears, "Are you okay?" It was amazing to me how Jacob didn't even have to see my face to know exactly what was going on.

"Just thinking, Jake," I said as he came to sit next to me. I wrapped my arms around him, feeling my heartbeat slow, and my thoughts relax.

"Your not getting second thoughts about me, are you?" he looked down at me curiously.

"No, of course I'm not, Jake. Actually, I wasn't thinking about the wedding.." I said, trying to push the thought out of my mind that our wedding was only in a couple of days. After all, I had planned to have the best party planner I knew organize my wedding. But then again, other than the orders banning our communication, she probably despised me. I trembled at the thought of losing the friendship of all of them.

"Good, Because I don't think I can handle losing you ever again," he said as he lowered his face against mine.

"Well then I guess it's a good thing you don't have to," I kissed his nose playfully, and let my lips linger, kissing his lips time after time. We layed there like that for a while as I traced my hand over his, and rested my head on his shoulder. Our peaceful time together was interrupted abruptly by the shrill ringing of my cell phone from deep inside my purse. I hopped up and grabbed the handles, yanking them open to reveal a mess of randomly assorted items. Finally, I found it, right as the ringing stopped. Flipping it open, I checked the caller ID.

_Leah Clearwater, 0:00 Minutes Ago_

I quickly dialed Leah's number, and called her back. Leah didn't call unless it was extremely important. It rang several times before a voice I didn't recognize picked up.

"Hello? Miss Clearwater is in the operating room, this is Mrs. Lanchester at the front desk, May I take a message?"

"The operating room? Why?" I asked, frantic. I glanced over at the calendar on the wall, and suddenly it hit me.

"Well, Miss Clearwater is in labor, m'am," she answer calmly.

"Okay, thank you," I said and hung up the phone, running to my bedroom to get dressed. Jacob jogged after me, obviously confused.

"Bella, what's going on?" he asked, trying to stop me from running around and gathering everything I needed. There was a bag in the closet that I had already prepared for this day. I dodged Jacob's arms and ran to fetch it, grabbing it and throwing it onto the bed. A few of the contents spilled out.

"Bella, are these baby diapers?" he asked curiously.

"Uhh, yeah. They are," I answered, while trying to pull on a sneaker.

"Okay, stop," he said, and grabbed me by my shoulders.

"Jake, I have to go!" I pleaded.

"Then tell me what's going on," he demanded. I sighed, and gave in.

"Fine, I'll tell you the entire story in the truck," I said. I grabbed the bag, a jacket, and headed to the front door. Jake followed close in tow. The cold winter air gathered around my head, but my body still felt as toasty as it had when I was sitting in front of the fire, one of the many perks of being in the pack. I ran to the truck, and slammed the door shut, impatiently waiting for Jake to do the same. After finally getting my truck to start, I pressed it to it's limits, and Jake began to question me about what was really going on.

"Okay.. Well… Remember when I told you that Leah was staying away because she needed time away from the pack?" I asked.

"Yeah? So?" He looked confused.

"Well, she did need time away from the pack. But not for the reasons you might think. Leah is having a baby, Jake."

A few awkward moments of silence followed, as Jake pondered his thoughts. I'm sure this would all come as a huge shock to him, I just hoped he wouldn't be too angry at me for keeping secrets.

"Who's the father?" he asked quietly. I paused, not knowing if I should answer the question. I knew that Leah didn't want anyone to know, but I trusted Jake entirely, with every part of me.

"Sam," I answered quickly and simply. I could almost hear Jake's inaudible gasp.

"How could.. But he.. And Emily…" he muttered, almost to himself.

"I know, Jake. I don't know the details. I didn't ask. It was a painful subject for her," I answered. The rest of the car ride was mostly in silence as we watched the trees roll by and sat in wonder of how such a thing could have happened. I don't think that even Jake fully understood the pain that Leah was going through at this point, knowing that she would be viewed as Sam's mistress.

The hospital parking lot was mostly full. A few ambulances could be seen at the emergency entrance, along with some nurses wheeling a freshly recovered elderly woman to her car, with what I guessed to be her grandson behind them. The building towered over our heads, almost 10 stories high, with a large cross made out of glass directly about the door. Jake and I ran through the entrance, and to the front desk where we were directed to a waiting room directly outside the operating room where Leah has been taken.

The silence was broken every so often by high pitched screams that I knew instinctively were Leah's. I wanted to go into the room, to let her know I was still there for her, but I wasn't allowed. I leaned up against Jake as he wrapped his arms around me, and we waited. What seemed like an eternity later, a nurse finally arrived in the waiting room.

"Miss Swan?" he asked. I raised my hand as if to indicate my identity.

"You are being asked for by a Miss Clearwater," he paused, "This way." Jake and I followed the nurse down a long hallway, with walls painted the color of burnt orange. The lights flickered about our heads eerily, and made it look like a scene out of a horror movie. I shuddered. I had always hated hospitals. We turned abruptly to our right, and entered a small room with a tiny television, and window. In a bed in the corner, Leah lay, exhausted.

"Bella!" she said, sounding tired, "I thought you wouldn't make it."

"Of course I made it, Leah," I said as I sat next to her bed, "I wouldn't miss it. I've been here for a couple of hours, but I wasn't allowed to see you." Leah motioned to a small portable baby bed to her left.

"Well now, you've seen me. Meet Aiden Samuel Clearwater." She smiled as she spoke his name, I assumed as she was thinking of his namesake.

Laying quietly in the bed, was a tiny baby boy, with a full head of black hair. His arms were at his sides, and he was wrapped in a small blue blanket. About his head, was a sticker, that read

_Congratulations! It's a boy!_

Jake put his arms around my waist as we met Leah's beautiful son for the first time. For the first time in a while, everything was happy.

"Bella?" Leah asked.

"Yeah?" I glanced over at her.

"Thank you. For everything," she said quietly.

"Anytime, Leah. Anytime. It's what sisters are for."

**Author's Note: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I'm starting to write again, so be sure and let me know what you think, and I will continue adding more and more chapters for you guys to read! So comment, comment, comment! And be sure to subscribe. (; Thanks! -ADragonsTears**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: So guys! It's been forever since I last updated this story, but school has kind of kept me down. Although, I know you guys have been waiting, so I'm going to go ahead and jump right back into this. **

**All credit to Stephanie Meyer, I claim nothing, blahblahblah.**

The shining black marble glittered in the moonlight, and I ran my fingers over the engraved letters slowly, picturing them in my mind. _Sam Uley_. _Rest In Peace._ It didn't feel right for those words to be etched in stone. They weren't words you expected to hear of those you loved when your only a teenager yourself.

I pictured his smiling face, his scrunched up hair, yelling at the rest of the pack to stop acting like children. I could see his eyes filled with love when he saw Emily, even with the scars that were the result of his actions resting on her face. I began to wonder what he would think if he saw his son, Aiden Samuel Clearwater, in complete bliss, not knowing any of the troubles of the world around him.

There were so many questions that everyone had. Whose the father of Leah's baby? Why won't she tell anyone? Why does the child look so much like Sam? Everyone had their suspicions, even the members of the pack. But they were smart to keep them subdued.

The entire ordeal had been hardest on Leah. She loved Sam, there was no doubt about that. But if the truth ever came out about who was really Aiden's father, Emily would be crushed. Even though Emily took Leah's love from her, there was no possibly way that Leah would ever hurt Emily like that. Leah continually tried to keep it a secret, but people were growing more and more suspicious every day, and the fact that Aiden and Sam were practically identical didn't help matters.

I stared up at the sky and cursed under my breath. Sam, what should we do? What do I do to help Leah? Why can't you be here to help us all… I sighed. The grass began to rustle behind me, and I swirled around into a crouched position, my defensive reflexes kicking off.

"You might not want to kill your fiancé today, Bella," Jacob laughed and jogged toward me, "Especially not after all the money we've spent on a wedding that's only two days away." I relaxed and stood up, letting his arms slip around my waist, and allowing him to kiss me softly on the lips over and over again, until the tension in my body released.

"What, Jake, are you afraid your bride is going to get cold feet?" I joked and ran my fingers up his arms letting them rest directly below his collarbone.

"Well, It wouldn't be unheard of for her to doing unpredictable things," he smirked, a look of concern hidden behind his eyes. I leaned up to kiss him again.

"Don't worry, Jacob, I'm not going anywhere, anytime soon." He laughed in unison with myself, and picked me up swinging me around in an incredibly cliché moment. But maybe cliché was exactly what I needed to ease the stress of everything.

"Bella! NO!" Jake came rushing into the kitchen as a horrible popping and scratching noise was coming from the microwave. I flinched and jumped back.

"What, what did I do?" I squealed, completely confused. He slammed his hand onto the release button for the microwave door and blew on the fire-covered aluminum foil wrapped potatoes I had placed inside to warm for breakfast.

"Bella. You don't put metal in the microwave," he sighed, and threw the still hot lumps into the sink, letting the faucet drench them with cold water.

"Oh…" Somehow I had skipper learning this rule when my mother attempted the useless task of teaching me how to be a housewife.

"Maybe I should handle cooking from now on, okay?" He laughed, and I scowled. I pretended that his teasing bugged me, but inside I couldn't stop laughing at myself.

"Don't look so angry, Today's the day!" He laughed and walked over to me kissing my forehead before he took care of the huge mess I had just made.

I knew that somewhere deep inside of me that fact made me extremely overjoyed and excited. But for now, on the surface, I only felt sick to my stomach. Despite the fact that I had grown up being taught that getting married was a horrible, horrible idea, I knew that marrying Jake was what I wanted. But this huge ceremony, everyone watching… Especially with all the gossip and hard feelings around town. It just didn't feel right.

Suspicions had grown like wildfire in the last two days over the identity of the father of Leah's child, Aiden. Not only does the one year old boy have an uncanny resemblance to Sam, but Leah's aversion to seeing Emily has only heightened things. Leah bought a small house on the edge of the reservation, and that's normally where she stays. She doesn't have visitors, with the exception of her brother, Seth, myself, and Jake. Most days she looks frail, and I'm fairly positive that she doesn't eat right. But how do you help someone that feels they betrayed the person they loved the most?

"Bella? Are you okay?" Jake turned to me, concerned. I opened my mouth to answer, but I was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"I'll get it," I muttered and jogged across the living room to look out the peephole. I was surprised at who I saw, and swung the door open.

"Seth? What are you doing here? What's wrong? And.." I leaned farther out to see that a baby carseat was sitting on the ground next to him, with Aiden inside, "Why is Aiden with you?"

He looked infinitely scared, as if he had no direction, or idea what to do when he finally answered, "Bella… Leah's gone."

**Author's Note:Sorry for the mishap with the naming, it has been FOREVER since I've written. Please, read and review. :)**


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